UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGrant Shapps has risked inflaming tensions with Britain’s most important ally, saying the US only does the right thing after “they have exhausted all other options”.The defence secretary aimed the barb at his American colleagues after the Senate approved a $61bn military aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday night.President Joe Biden said he would sign the historic support package on Wednesday.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps arrive at Warsaw Chopin airport in Warsaw during a visit to Poland and Germany. Picture date: Tuesday April 23, 2024. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRwanda will benefit from asylum seekers sent from Britain because it is “slightly underpopulated” following the 1994 genocide, the home secretary has claimed. His comments came just hours after parliament passed Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda Bill, designed to give thousands a one-way ticket to the African country. Speaking at an event in Rome, James Cleverly was asked why Rwanda had agreed to take asylum seekers from the UK. As well as the millions of pounds the UK has paid the country’s government, Mr Cleverly also pointed to its tragic past. In 1994, an estimated that more than 800,000 people were killed when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were massacred by Hutu militias.Mr Cleverly said: “For a country of a fairly modest population, it lost a very significant number of its people. So Rwanda – I may be a bit clunky with my phraseology – Rwanda is slightly underpopulated and there is definitely capacity for the individuals who are being relocated to Rwanda to be financially much more better off than they would be in their country of origin but also for Rwanda as a nation to be economically much more better off.”Mr Sunak has come under intense pressure to rethink the policy after five people, including a young girl, died trying to cross the channel. The UN was among leading voices urging the UK government to reconsider, amid warnings the plan would fall to act as a deterrent to stop desperate asylum seekers trying to come to the UK in small boats.Home Secretary James Cleverly is in Italy to discuss migration (James Manning/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email A prominent German far-right lawmaker said Wednesday that he will dismiss an assistant who was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, but will remain the Alternative for Germany party’s top candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections.Maximilian Krah’s assistant, Jian Guo, was arrested Monday. Prosecutors accuse Guo — a German national who had worked for Krah since his election to the European Union legislature in 2019 — of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January. Prosecutors allege that he also snooped on Chinese dissidents in Germany. On Tuesday night, a judge ordered Guo held in custody pending a possible indictment.The arrest cast an unflattering light on the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which already faced criticism for having Russia-friendly positions. The European Parliament elections will take place June 9 in Germany.Krah said Wednesday he had held “a very friendly and constructive, but appropriately serious” meeting with the party’s leaders. Now that Guo has been ordered kept in custody, “I will dismiss the employee concerned today,” he said. “I am very much interested in clearing this up, and will endeavor to find out what exactly he is accused of,” Krah said, adding that his office would work to “reconstruct everything” Guo worked on.Krah conceded that “the election campaign is, of course, being terribly overshadowed by this matter.” He said that, as a result, he won’t appear at AfD’s official opening campaign rally Saturday in the southwestern town of Donaueschingen.“But if you think this the end of me as the lead candidate, I must disappoint you,” he told reporters. “I am and remain the top candidate; what this is about now is refocusing the election campaign on European issues and getting away from this very unpleasant matter.”Krah said there was no wrongdoing on his own part.News of Guo’s arrest came a day after three Germans suspected of spying for China and arranging to transfer information on technology with potential military uses were arrested in a separate case.Also on Monday, British prosecutors said a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament and another man were charged with spying for China. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe long-awaited Renters Reform Bill returns to Commons on Wednesday as MPs consider new amendments to the housing legislation ahead of a crucial final vote.First introduced in 2023, the bill aims to bring in measures that protect renters’ rights in the housing market. Since its inception, the scrapping of Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notices has been central to the legislation.This is the controversial power that allows landlords to evict tenants from their properties at two months’ notice without needing to give any reason. Former prime minister Theresa May first announced the Conservatives’ intention to abolish Section 21 notices in April 2019.Recent research by YouGov commissioned by homelessness charity Shelter showed 943,000 tenants had been served Section 21 notices in this time, equivalent to more than 500 renters per day.Half-a-decade later and the bill is ready for MPs – but not without a few changes along the way. Ahead of a final vote, MPs are given the opportunity to make amendments to a bill which will now be considered in the report stage. Several of the amendments that are likely to pass were recently leaked in a letter to from housing minister Jacob Young. The MP writes that the changes are designed to ‘bolster landlord protections’.Reports show that, of the 48 backbench MPs backing several controversial amendments, 36 are either landlords or have received funding linked to landlords. The government has been accused of conceding to much to these “pro-landlord Conservative MPs”.Responding to the amendments, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association has called for “swift passage” of the bill.He said: “Tenants should rightly be empowered to hold rogue and criminal landlords to account to root out the minority who bring the sector into disrepute. However, it is vital that the majority of responsible landlords have confidence in the Bill to provide the homes for rent the country needs.“The amendments proposed by the Government strike that balance.”Ahead of the amendment debate, the Renters’ Reform Coalition (RRC) have said the changes will render the bill a ‘failure’. Co-signed by 20 leading housing charities and campaign groups, the letter criticises ministers for meeting with landlords twice as often as their own groups.Housing secretary Michael Gove has insisted Section 21 notices will be ‘outlawed’ before the next general election More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch live as MPs and Lords hold a one-off session on arms exports to Israel at the Business and Trade Committee on Wednesday, 24 April.Expert witnesses will speak about the relevant legal, political, and military issues impacting UK arms exports to Israel.The UK has licenced arms worth over £574m to Israel since 2008, according to analysis of Government export data by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), a UK based pressure group that seeks an end to the global arms trade, referenced in the House of Commons Library.CAAT has highlighted UK industry contributions to F-35 combat aircraft, which it says are “currently being used in the bombardment of Gaza” following Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel.It comes after three members of a family from Rafah died and four others were injured following an Israeli military strike on their home in southern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera, which cited information from Civil Defence personnel.Earlier, the UN expressed “horror” over reports of mass graves being discovered outside two Palestinian hospitals.The organisation said it was corroborating Gazan officials’ reports that 283 bodies were found at Nasser hospital and 30 at Al Shifa. More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightLeaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not “necessary” to prevent small boat crossings, David Cameron has said amid Tory divisions over the UK’s membership in the treaty.And while he said he would “love” to reinstate a pre-Brexit returns agreement for migrants from the EU, the foreign secretary appeared to concede such a deal is “simply not possible”.It comes as Rishi Sunak’s bill aimed at blocking further setbacks to the Government’s controversial Rwanda deportation scheme passed through Parliament following months of wrangling between MPs and peers.Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said leaving the ECHR is ‘not necessary’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore than half of IT professionals have said they fear deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI) could affect the result of the general election, according to new research.A survey of workers in the sector by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, found 65% said they are concerned an election result could be affected by misleading AI-generated content.The study found that 92% believe political parties should agree to be transparent and declare how and when they use AI in their campaigns, and that more technical and policy solutions need to be forthcoming to address the issue.We need to increase public awareness of how to spot deepfakes, double-check sources and think critically about what we’re seeingRashik Parmer, BCS, The Chartered Institute for ITLast year, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan told MPs the Government is working with social media platforms on measures to combat deepfakes, saying “robust mechanisms” will be in place by the time of the general election, which is due by January 2025.According to the poll of 1,200 IT professionals, public education and technical tools such as watermarking and labelling of AI content are seen as the most effective measures for limiting the impact of deepfakes.A number of senior politicians, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have been the subjects of deepfakes in the past.BCS chief executive Rashik Parmar said: “Technologists are seriously worried about the impact of deepfakes on the integrity of the general election – but there are things politicians can do to help the public and themselves.“Parties should agree between them to clearly state when and how they are using AI in their campaigns.“Official sources are just one part of the problem. Bad actors outside the UK and independent activists inside can do even more to destabilise things.“We need to increase public awareness of how to spot deepfakes, double-check sources and think critically about what we’re seeing.“We can support that with technical solutions, and the most popular in the poll was a clear labelling consensus where possible – and it would be ideal if this could be done globally with the US election coming too.”Alongside our Defending Democracy Taskforce, the Digital Imprints Regime requires certain political campaigning digital material to have a digital imprint making clear to voters who is promoting the contentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyA spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “We are working extensively across Government to ensure we are ready to rapidly respond to misinformation.“Alongside our Defending Democracy Taskforce, the Digital Imprints Regime requires certain political campaigning digital material to have a digital imprint making clear to voters who is promoting the content.“Once implemented the Online Safety Act will also require social media platforms to swiftly remove illegal misinformation and disinformation – including where it is AI-generated – as soon as they become aware of it.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPupils have less access to interactive science practicals as video demonstrations are being used instead, a report has suggested.A survey, commissioned by the Royal Society and EngineeringUK, found that just over a quarter (26%) of GCSE pupils reported doing hands-on practical work in science at least fortnightly.This was lower than in 2019 (37%) and 2016 (44%) when Year 10 and 11 pupils were surveyed on the frequency of practical work, according to the report.There has been a “marked shift away” from more interactive forms of practical work as videos of practicals are increasingly being used as a replacement – and the Covid-19 school lockdowns may have contributed to the trend, it said.Access to effective hands-on learning that students can tangibly connect to the real world will help make science feel more relevant and meaningful and provide valuable skills for life and workProfessor Ulrike Tillmann, Royal SocietyA poll of 7,256 pupils aged 11–18 in state schools and colleges in England suggests nearly half (46%) of GCSE pupils surveyed said they watched a video of a practical at least fortnightly.This was higher than those surveyed before the pandemic in 2019 (41%) and in 2016 (39%).Among all students surveyed in Years 7–11, the most common form of exposure to practical science was via video, the report said.The survey, carried out by Verian between July and September 2023, suggests that 68% of Year 10 and 11 students want to do more practical work in science – and the figure is higher among all the pupils surveyed (71%).There has been a “negative shift” in young people’s engagement and participation in science at school since 2019 and it is “likely” that disruption from the pandemic may have contributed, the report said.Addressing the increasing use of videos of practicals, it added: “While it is possible that these changes are symptomatic of a longer–term shift towards using digital technology as a replacement for hands–on work, it is likely that the pandemic has accelerated any such shifts and could mean that digital teaching practices introduced during lockdowns have now become more embedded.”The evidence of a declining interest in science is a serious wake-up callDr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUKThe report, commissioned with support from Wellcome, also suggested young people are less interested in science and computing than in 2019.It said experience of hands-on practical work is “key to motivating students in science” – especially among the least engaged in science.Professor Ulrike Tillmann, chairwoman of the Royal Society’s education committee, said: “The wonderful thing about science is that it has a practical side. It is not just in your head, you can touch and feel it, whether in the classroom or as part of everyday life.“Access to effective hands-on learning that students can tangibly connect to the real world will help make science feel more relevant and meaningful and provide valuable skills for life and work.“The present situation means many young people may emerge from school without a sound appreciation of scientific methods, which are crucial for understanding how science works and being able to engage with scientific issues.”Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, said: “We need hundreds of thousands more people entering STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) careers to get on track to meet net zero, to improve sustainability, and for the UK to prosper.“The evidence of a declining interest in science is a serious wake-up call.”Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “The equipment necessary for experiments, including chemicals in some cases, can be prohibitively expensive for schools battling exceptionally tight budgets.“Practical work often requires the help of a specialist technician as well as additional planning and risk assessment from the teacher, who will already be working within the confines of a timetable that is likely bursting at the seams.“All of this can lead to teachers taking the difficult decision to use video demonstrations as opposed to their preferred option of enabling students to experience experiments first hand.”Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said the Government’s “obsession” with exams may be contributing to the decline.She said: “In part, this decline in students having the opportunity to take part in experiments may be due to shortages of specialist science teachers or technicians at a time when schools are facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis.“But it may also reflect government reforms which saw a new approach of assessing practical work using written exam questions rather than through controlled assessment.” More